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The Education Sector Needs You

Teaching is a pretty popular second act for people changing professions. The pay, of course, isn't the draw, but rather it's often the altruistic nature of teaching that's appealing to people leaving careers in other industries. Know any techies who've made the move into the education sector? What about you?

For a variety of reasons, including the biggest one -- money -- the education sector, much like the health care industry, has long been an IT laggard. But now, technology tools are finally starting to take hold in classrooms to help kids learn and collaborate -- and also in school administrative offices to measure those results.

Still, schools (especially in grades K to 12) could use a lot more input from tech-savvy individuals who can lend their expertise and new ideas. Maybe you've got something to offer them?

Some tech employers encourage their employees to help out the education sector, even if that means changing careers and leaving the company. For the last several years, IBM has been providing tuition assistance to IBM employees making a shift into math and science teaching careers. To date, more than 100 IBM employees have participated in that program, which aims to address the shortage of math and science teachers in grades K to 12 in the United States.

Do you have any interest in volunteering your time and technology know-how to schools? What about making the career switch to a job in education -- is that something you'd consider? Let us know by posting your comments below.

And if you're willing to talk on the record with me about this for an upcoming story, please e-mail me at mmcgee@techweb.com .

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